When the museum finally decided it was time to pry them open, something sensational was found: A 780 000 year old molar from an extinct relation of ours: The so-called Peking man. It’s the only such tooth of its kind.

“It’s an important discovery. It’s the first molar from the Peking man,” says Per Ahlberg, Professor of Evolutionary Organismal Biology. The material in the 40 boxes was collected by the Uppsala researcher Otto Zdansky in the mid 1920’s, but they have for some reason remained unlocked during all these years. Now researchers hope that this find will shed new light on the Peking man’s eating habits. “The tooth hasn’t been handled since it was found and is in a good state,” says Ahlberg.

More information: Evolutionsmuseet, Uppsala